Bootrec Fixboot Element Not Found in Windows 7, 8, 10- Fixed

A few hours ago, my computer encountered a problem and automatically started Automatic Repair. However, the startup repair didn't work, stating that the issue is related to the partition table but unable to automatically fix it.

"I'd suggest checking if the BCD store file still exists in the correct location, and if it's not corrupted. You can try running the command 'bcdedit /enum' to see if the store is listed. If not, you might need to recreate the BCD store from scratch using the /create command. If you've made any changes recently, try restoring from a previous backup. If none of these work, you might want to try reinstalling the BCD editor or checking for any system file corruption.

Bootrec fixboot element not found error

When your computer encounters boot issues, you're prompted to run the bootrec /fixboot command. However, if this doesn't resolve the problem, such as getting stuck in a Windows automatic repair loop, you might encounter the "element not found" error in Windows 7, 8, 10, Server 2008, 2012, or 2016. We'll explore why this error occurs.

The error is likely due to an inactive system partition, an EFI partition without a drive letter, or a damaged BCD or MBR.

After understanding the error, you may wonder how to fix bootrec fixboot element not found. Before proceeding, go to safe mode and create a system backup or disk backup for your computer. If you can't access safe mode, create a bootable media or repair disk on a working computer first.

Backup your computer just in case

Creating a backup won't make things worse. With it, you can restore your computer to an earlier date, or at least restore files from backup if the hard drive is corrupted.

To create a backup, you can use a good backup software like Qiling Disk Master Standard, which is free and easy to use, offering basic backup solutions such as System Backup, Disk Backup, and File Backup, as well as corresponding restore solutions.

Qiling Disk Master is a basic backup software that can satisfy all your basic needs. If you need more advanced features, you can upgrade to Qiling Disk Master Professional or Qiling Disk Master Server, which offer additional features such as differential backup and automatic deletion of backup files.

Now, see the detailed steps to backup system.

Step 1. Restart your computer several times and then select Safe Mode with Networking.

Step 2. Download Qiling Disk Master Standard, install and launch it. Then, connect a USB or external drive to your computer, ensuring it can be detected by the system.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 3. Click Backup and System Backup.

Step 4. Select the destination path for your backup.

Step 5. Click Proceed and wait until the operation is completed. Click Finish and safely remove your device.

How to fix bootrec fixboot element not found

Now, coming to our point, bootrec /fixboot return element not found - how to solve. Before any operation, You should think about the following questions first..

1. Your system partition is active or not. If you're unsure whether your system partition is active, you can check from the command prompt. Type "list disk" to list all disks, then select the disk with boot issues (usually disk 0). Next, type "detail disk" to get more information about the selected disk. After that, type "list partition" to list all partitions on the disk.

2. What is the partition style of your disk?

3. Do you convert MBR to GPT disk before you get bootrec fixboot element not found in Windows 7/8/10.

To resolve the issue, start your computer with a repair disc or installation disc, then proceed to the Command Prompt.

Fix 1: Activate system partition

If your system partition is inactive, you'll need to use bootable media to activate it. Here's a brief summary of the steps involved: 1. Create or obtain bootable media (e.

Step 1. Type the following commands in the pop-up window and hit Enter after each one.

diskpart

list disk

select disk n (n is the disk with boot issues)

list partition

select partition m (m is the drive letter of your system partition)

activate

exit

Step 2. Restart your computer and try bootrec commands again.

Fix 2: bootrec fixboot element not found on GPT

If you've converted an MBR disk to GPT, the issue might be due to the EFI partition not having a drive letter assigned to it. The EFI partition is necessary for storing the BOOTMGR and BCD files, which are required for booting the computer. Therefore, assigning a drive letter to the EFI partition should resolve the problem.

Step 1. Go to command prompt and type diskpart in the window.

Step 2. copy the following commands one by one and paste it to command prompt window. Please remember to press Enter to run these commands.

List volume

Select volume r (r is the EFI partition)

Assign letter=s

Exit

Step 3. Restart your computer to make changes available. Then, try to run bootrec / fixboot command.

If you receive the error "bootrec fixboot element not found on MBR", you can try rebuilding the Master Boot Record (MBR) with Qiling Disk Master to resolve the issue.

FIX 4: Bootrec fixboot returns element not found

Corrupted BCD is one of the reasons for bootrec issue. You can try to repair BCD and see if it works.

Step 1. Get to command prompt and type the following commands, then hit Enter.

cd /d b:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot(b is the drive letter of bootable drive)

bootrec /fixboot

ren BCD BCD.bak

bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-gb /s b: /f ALL The command updates the BIOS settings, including UEFI firmware and NVRAM, using the /f option, and localizes the settings for the UK/GB locale using the /l en-gb option.

Step 2. reboot your computer.

Fix 5: CMD bootrec fixboot element not found

This way is referenced in the forum and some users say that it's very useful. You can try it if you don't have any clue for your problem.

Step 1. Open CMD via bootable media, type the following commands and hit Enter to run it.

chkdsk C: /r (C: refers to the drive letter of system partition)

bcdboot C: \windows

Step 2. Try the bootrec commands and see if there are any error message.

In the end

Before attempting to resolve the "bootrec fixboot element not found" issue, it's essential to create a backup of your computer to ensure that you can restore your system if any further complications arise during the troubleshooting process.

Qiling Backkupper Standard is a reliable backup and restore software that can backup and restore system images, as well as clone disks and partitions. It allows for system image backups and restores from external hard drives or other storage devices, and also supports disk cloning, including cloning MBR disks to GPT, cloning only the OS, and moving system reserved partitions to another drive.

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